The invention relates to a corn header for a forage harvester and a forage harvester comprising such a corn header.
In the case of harvesting machines, a basic distinction is made between harvesting machines in which the crop is threshed, and harvesting machines in which the crop is chopped. Harvesting machines designed as combine harvesters are typically used when the crop to be harvested is a type of grain such as wheat, barley, or oats, or when the crop is rapeseed. Harvesting machines designed as forage harvesters are typically used, however, when the type of crop to be harvested is corn or sorghum.
A harvesting machine designed as a combine harvester, in the case of which a crop to be harvested is threshed, comprises a cutting and intake conveyor mechanism having a plurality of cutting parts, which harvest the crop by implementing a scissors-like severance cut. A harvesting machine designed as a forage harvester, however, comprises a cutting and intake conveyor mechanism designed as a corn header, which comprises a plurality of rotatably driven cutting and intake conveyor mechanisms.
DE 10 2004 022 534 A1 makes known a harvesting machine designed as a forage harvester for harvesting stalked crop such as corn or the like. The harvesting machine comprises a corn header, which has a plurality of cutting and feed units, wherein each cutting and feed unit has a plurality of rotatably driven, drum-like cutting and intake conveyor mechanisms that are substantially rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation, for separating the crop in a substantially horizontal direction.
The corn header known from DE 10 2004 022 534 A1 is suitable for use, without restrictions, to harvest corn. This corn header also is basically suitable for use to harvest other crops, such as sorghum, for example, which has thinner stalks than corn. When thin-stalked crop is harvested with the aid of such a corn header, problems can occur when the crop to be harvested is not standing vertically as individual plants in the stand to be harvested but is instead intertwined, lying horizontally or both. In this case, gathering the crop can cause the corn header to become clogged on the side moving through the stand during the harvesting operation.